(1902) Table Talk with Mr. Prosper

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap nods. "Yep." he says. "Thing is, I don't use it much to train. Training...is interesting in that it's not about getting an animal to do what I want right now. It's about changing an animal into being what I want." he says eagerly. "With horses, at least, it's really about getting a horse to get past its fear, and understand it can do something or ignore something that is against its instincts."

Dirt Nap catches himself before he gets on a full roll. "What about you, Mister Prosper? How does talking to, controlling beasts work in with what you do the rest of the time?"

[Garrett Prosper]

Garrett watches Dirt Nap put the reigns on his excitement. The Gangrel had heard the man go on rants before, and so the sudden flipping of the question had him curious.

"Me? I am just a very likable person," he jokes. With the other Gangrel's intense stare, however, he doesn't sit on it long. "To put it bluntly, Herr Clay: I look down on animals.

The fact that our Clan is more familiar with our primal urges gives me incentive to dominate the situation we are placed in," he smirked, aware of the redundancy. But there was always a potential audience.

"There is a nobility inherent in our gifts, and self assurance paired with education are traits needed for the Kindred to not become rapidly corrupt by our baser instinct: to rend and tear each other to pieces; to flee in blind terror as our minds are sealed off from all sense of logic and foresight." His eyes flick momentarily to Mable and Elettra chattering excitedly as if nothing had happened.

"By binding these creatures to a higher purpose and giving them direction with my will, I gain clarity. But that has always been my natural inclination. I enjoyed hunting before," he gestures, "all this nonsense." He has a playfulness to his tone, making it ambiguous whether he was just humouring the other Savage by telling him a similar viewpoint.

[Dirt Nap]

"Oh." Dirt Nap listens intently. Ponders, even after Garrett Prosper has finished. Then nods. "Can't pick when we're born, huh?" he says rhetorically. "Can't most of us, pick what Clan we are embraced into neither." he says almost sympathetically.

"You...believe in different levels of humans? Like the races are on different levels?" he asks. "Please don't answer if it seems like a trap; I like to learn different perspectives, is all." he says.

"I was born when it was pretty much taken for granted that skin color or other differences didn't really matter." he says. "Then I got embraced, by a Savage who, I guess, liked how I fought the cancer for every breath. It mattered. If I had a choice...I don't know if I would have chose this clan. But now, I guess it suits me fine."

[Garrett Prosper]

Garrett's posture goes noticeably rigid at Dirt Nap's casual question, slamming down the Beast before the snarl bubbles to the surface. "Ah. No. I would not call myself a eugenicist or a Fascist. I was referring to animals, not Kine," his tone is oddly flat. "Also, I have no issue with being Gangrel. I find it the most honest existence there is among the Kindred."

His eyes are bright as they shift from Dirt Nap to Elettra's rejection of the Prince's instruction. There is a long pause,

"Forgive me, Herr Clay, I am not being a good conversation partner. You were dying?"

[Dirt Nap]

This time Dirt Nap is caught looking away too, as Lina Moretti goes stalking from where Adam Exlibrist still stands, still fighting with words for a place in the Domain, to where the Prince and Priscus Wood and Priscus Vitale are standing.

"Wow." Dirt Nap says.

Turning back to Garrett Prosper, he says, "No offense at all, Mister Prosper. I am just glad that I am not the most interesting thing happening here tonight." he says.

After another moment, Dirt Nap looks to Garrett Prosper and says, "Well. I am sorry. It seems I have said two things tonight that could be offensive. I apologize. In fact, I will offer you a trivial boon, to show that I really don't mean to offend you, just trying in my way to understand." he says.

"It's just, the times do change. Nowadays, a lot of people think of animals like people, or maybe better. I don't, myself, but there's alot of it around." he says.

"Oh, yeah. I mean, we all died. I just died of cancer, or nearly did? I am a little hazy on the exact timing of my Embrace as to my last breath." he says. "I know they pronounced me dead at the hospital."

Dirt Nap pauses, "Of course, that wasn't really me. I mean, I'm not really the man that died, come again. I'm something else, that remembers him."

[Garrett Prosper]

Prosper nods, rubbing his chin, "Well, there is something to be said about watching a train wreck rather than being involved."

Dirt Nap's apology didn't receive the usual sarcastic smirk, "Your earnestness is appreciated. I would not reject such an apology if you feel it is necessary. I would also not want future conversations to turn into you being hesitant to speak your mind," he adds, "I do not consider myself 'delicate'."

His smile returns, though not as easily, "I would have to agree with you there. I do not operate under the illusion that I am not a glorified walking corpse. But," he holds up a finger, "it has been a surprising afterlife. The time traveling is interesting, for one."

His expression grows a little wistful, "Actually, there's a thought. Whether or not we can claim to be the same person is one of my biggest motivators are a student."

[Dirt Nap]

"Huh." Dirt Nap says. "You have to help me out, Mister Prosper. Did you accept a boon, or no? I couldn't exactly tell, and I am not too experienced at the whole thing. I just got the idea that saying 'sorry' without offering a boon to show you mean it is practically an insult in places like this...."

When Garrett Prosper ponders aloud their state and identity, Dirt Nap nods. "There's a lot you can think about there. If you were a believer before, well, I like to think the man I was died and passed on to heaven. I am pretty sure that has got nothing to do with me. I 'spose that's one reason I am determined to stick around as long as I can down here." he observes. "And I suppose, trying to do as little harm as possible all the while is kind of like a backup plan."

[Garrett Prosper]

"I accept the Prestation, Herr Clay," Garrett clarified after another beat of hesitation.

"Do you see yourself as a revenant? The dictionary concept, not ours," he added, then tilted his head, "Do you think you have a purpose here? I do not think I have ever met someone becoming a Dragon on a whim, so."

[Ruach]

wrong account

[Dirt Nap]

Dirt Nap smiles at Garrett Prosper accepting his trivial boon. "Good. I will be sure to tell the Harpy tomorrow night." he says sincerely.

At the prompting question of their state, Dirt Nap shakes his head. "If I remember correctly, a revenant has just one aim in mind, that being revenge for being murdered." he says.

"I believe in practicalities, what I can measure and test and do over again and again." he says. "I know my feelings aren't right, that is, like your revenant that just feels hate for the one that killed it, and drives for revenge, I know all my feelings are like echoes of the real thing. I'd guess I am some kind of recording, left behind or like a snake skin that was shed when the snake inside outgrew it." he says.

"The strongest, realist feelings I got aren't mine, they are the beast inside. I don't trust them at all." he says.

"So, honestly, I don't put too much stock in any theorizing on it, because it doesn't help me towards my goal, but my best guess is that I am some kind of left over skin shed by a man with memories and echoes of what he was, that got filled with something else, the beast. And now it's up to me to be the best echo of the man I can to fight the beast that somehow got in here with me to make me walk around like I'm alive."

Dirt Nap pauses. Then he asks, "You ever read the book,'The Wizard of Oz'? I did as a boy. It was before my time, but I was bored, and it was there. Anyway, the part about the Tin Man, how he was a man, and then ended up all made of hollow tin. That's how I feel about it, I suppose. Only instead of the Wizard putting in a heart made of sawdust, my Sire put in a beast."

He takes a breath and sighs. "It feels pretty foolish, me trying to figure it out, what exactly I am. I will probably never know. I understand the fight though. That's all I really need to know. Being a Dragon, for me it's not about understanding things for me; it's about putting up the best fight with the best tools."